Genetic progress with selection of Coffea canephora clones of superior processed coffee yield

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to select Coffea canephora clones of superior processed coffee productivity based on the estimates of the genetic parameters and of genetic progress with the plant selection. For this, the production of processed coffee from 130 clones was evaluated from 2014 to 2016 in a clonal test, installed in randomized complete blocks with four plants per plot and six replications, spaced 3 × 2m at the experiment station Embrapa Rondônia in the municipality of Ouro Preto do Oeste - RO. The estimation of genetic parameters and prediction of genotypic values were performed using REML/BLUP procedure (Restricted Maximum Likelihood/Best Unbiased Linear Prediction). Estimates of the genetic parameters confirmed the predominance of the genetic component in the expression of this trait, indicating the possibility of obtaining gains with the plant selection. Genetic progress of processed coffee productivity from the selection of 10% of the best clones was 49.88%, which is equivalent to an increase in average productivity from 42.57 bags.ha-1 to 66.95 bags.ha-1. The use of the harmonic mean of the genetic values helped to identify the clones of superior performance, with higher adaptability and stability for the northern region of Brazil.